Antigua Directions Read online

  Five Islands peninsula

  To the west of St John's the highway leads out through a narrow isthmus onto the large Five Islands peninsula, named after five small rocks that jut from the sea just offshore. There are several hotels on the peninsula's northern coast, a few more on its west coast, though the interior is largely barren and scrubby, and there's not a huge amount to see.

  Hawksbill Bay

  To reach Hawksbill Bay and some more excellent beaches, follow the main road straight through Five Islands peninsula, ignoring the turn-offs for the Yepton Beach Resort and Chez Pascal. A kilometre offshore from the bay, a large rock in the shape of the head of a hawksbill turtle gives the place its name.

  Fort Barrington and Deep Bay

  On Goat Hill, at the northern point of Five Islands peninsula.

  Close to the Royal Antiguan hotel, the circular stone ruins of Fort Barrington overlook the gorgeous Deep Bay. The British first built a simple fort here in the 1650s, to protect the southern entrance to St John's Harbour, though it was captured by the French when they took the city in 1666. In 1779, at a time of renewed tension between the two nations, Admiral Barrington of the British navy enlarged and strengthened the fort. This time, the deterrent proved effective; like most of Antigua's defences, Fort Barrington never saw any further action, and spent the next two centuries as a signal station reporting on the movement of ships in the local waters.

  Today, it's well worth the 20min walk around the beach at Deep Bay and up the hill to the fort. Once arrived, you'll be treated to a dramatic sense of isolation as you look out to sea or back over the tourists sunning themselves far below on the bay.

  Accommodation

  Carlisle Bay

  Old Road; tel 484 0000, fax 484 0001, www.carlisle-bay.com

  "Barefoot luxury" – ie, luxury in a beach setting – is the overriding theme at this brand-new resort. At a starting price of US$595 a night for a room with breakfast and afternoon tea, it's clearly not for everyone. But, it's beautifully designed – in low-key whites and greys with polished dark-wood furniture – and set in the most fabulous location, the 88 suites facing a peaceful white-sand beach with the dense forests of Fig Tree Drive all around. There's a gym, a spa, a 45-seat cinema, a thoughtfully constructed library, two excellent restaurants (Indigo on the Beach and East) and, for those who can't leave their work behind, easy access to the Internet.

  Chez Pascal

  Galley Bay Hill, Five Islands; tel 727 8384, www.chezpascal.net.

  In addition to being a French restaurant, Chez Pascal, set in tropical gardens on a hillside above Galley Bay, also has four luxurious guestrooms. Come here for fine French food, great views and bed-and-breakfast at US$175/150 in high/low season.

  Cocobay Resort

  Ffryes Beach; tel 562 2400, fax 562 2424, www.cocobayresort.com.

  Excellent all-inclusive right by the beach, with twenty brightly painted fan-cooled cottages (from US$320/260 in winter/summer) scattered above an impossibly turquoise bay and overlooking the Shekerley Hills. There's a beautiful pool, an aromatherapy/massage treatment room (for which you pay extra) and, while the inclusive food is not of the highest quality, there is a top-notch new restaurant on site called Sheer, for which you also pay extra.

  Cocos

  Valley Road, Lignum Vitae Bay; tel 460 2626, fax 462 9423, www.cocoshotel.com.

  Another all-inclusive "get-away-from-it-all" spot ideal for couples. The fifteen rooms are very simply done (no TV, no phone and a mosquito net rather than air-conditioning), but each has beautiful views out over the ocean and across the broad crescent of Jolly Beach. There's good food, too, on the candlelit terrace below. Room prices run from US$125/100 in winter/summer.

  Curtain Bluff

  Old Road; tel 462 8400, fax 462 8409, www.curtainbluff.com.

  For the seriously rich only – room prices start at a whopping US$850/495 a night in winter/summer – this is a spectacular all-inclusive hotel, built on the craggy bluff that overlooks Carlisle Bay and Cades Reef. The beautiful, spacious rooms all have a balcony or garden patio with a view of the ocean. Rates include all meals and drinks, scuba diving, sailing on the hotel's private yacht and a host of other top-class facilities.

  Galley Bay

  Five Islands; tel 462 0302, fax 462 4551.

  Sprouting up between a bird-filled lagoon and a nearly mile-long stretch of beach, this resort is best suited for a romantic retreat. Indeed, none of the seventy rooms, which are mixed nearly evenly between individual thatched-roof cottages and wooden bungalows, are equipped with televisions or phones, though bathrobes and private patios are standard. A large lagoon-like pool and two fine restaurants round out the package. All-inclusive rates begin at around US$700 a night during high season.

  Hawksbill Beach

  Five Islands; tel 462 0301, fax 462 1515, www.hawksbill.com.

  Attractive all-inclusive hotel that sprawls over a vast area on the Five Islands peninsula, overlooking the bay and the jagged rock that pokes from the sea, giving the place its name. Four beaches, dramatic views, lovely landscaped gardens and a restored sugar mill (that's been converted into a store) all add to the atmosphere. There's a variety of accommodation options, from quiet beachfront cottages and club rooms to suites with balconies looking out towards Hawksbill Rock – prices start at US$300/265 in winter/summer.

  Jolly Beach Resort

  Lignum Vitae Bay; tel 462 0061, fax 562 2302, www.jollybeachresort.com.

  Vast all-inclusive resort – 480 typically small and rather unattractive rooms scattered along half a kilometre of good white beach – with four restaurants, seven bars, a disco, a small casino, tennis courts and free watersports (training and rental), including windsurfing, waterskiing, small sailboats and paddle boats. In a place this size, you can't avoid feeling part of a big crowd, and the food is nothing to write home about, but on the whole the place offers pretty decent value. All-inclusive rates per couple start at US$250/230 in winter/summer.

  Jolly Harbour Villas

  Jolly Harbour; tel 462 7771, fax 462 7772, www.jollyharbour-marina.com.

  Modern complex of about fifty waterfront villas, mostly two-bedroom with a full kitchen and a balcony overlooking the harbour. Plenty of shops, restaurants and sports facilities nearby (including a golf course and a large, communal swimming pool) plus a new casino and nightclub. Still, the place feels somewhat bland and unimaginative. Doubles start at US$190/140 in winter/summer.

  Rex Blue Heron

  Johnson's Point; tel 462 8564, fax 462 8005, www.rexcaribbean.com.

  Medium-sized and very popular all-inclusive on one of the best west-coast beaches, with 64 comfortable, brightly decorated rooms and a small pool just a stone's throw from the sea. All-inclusive rates start at US$320/260 in winter/summer.

  Royal Antiguan

  Deep Bay; tel 462 3733, fax 462 3732.

  At nine storeys, this massive and rather ugly place feels like a big-city business hotel accidentally plonked down in the middle of the Caribbean. That said, the facilities are excellent, particularly for tennis and watersports, the rooms are comfortable and the beach busy but pleasant. If you can get a decent rate as part of a package (look for something in the neighbourhood of US$130/95 a night in winter/summer) it's not a bad place to stay – if you can handle the crowd, that is.

  Yepton Beach Resort

  Deep Bay; tel 462 2520, fax 462 3240, www.yepton.com.

  Nothing flash, and not on Antigua's best beach, but a pleasantly landscaped and welcoming little resort, with its own supply of windsurfers and small sailboats, and the occasional bout of entertainment – live bands and the like – thrown in for the guests. The rooms are good sizes, most have a full kitchen and prices are reasonable, at US$150/110 a night in winter/summer.

  Restaurants and bars

  Castaways

  Jolly Harbour; tel 562 4445. Daily for lunch and dinner.

  Good beach bar and bistro on a nice if crowded strip of sand. Food is tapas-style (EC$15–
25), while on Sundays there's a pig roast (EC$30). Occasional live music.

  Chez Pascal

  Galley Bay Hill, Five Islands; tel 462 3232, fax 460 5730, www.chezpascal.net, [email protected]. Mon–Sat for lunch and dinner.

  Good French restaurant serving classy food in an intimate, cosy setting. Mouthwatering dishes include starters of garlic snails (EC$31) or chicken liver mousse (EC$29); mains of steamed grouper in beurre blanc (EC$74) or rack of lamb with Provençal herbs (EC$200 for two people); and desserts of profiteroles or tarte tatin (EC$24). It's well out of the way on the Five Islands peninsula, with attractive views over the area and out to sea. To get here, pass the Galley Bay hotel, take a right and then go right again up a steep hill.

  Cocos

  At the Cocos hotel, Valley Road, Lignum Vitae Bay; tel 460 2626 or 460 9700, [email protected]. Daily for lunch and dinner.

  One of the most romantic spots on the island – a candlelit terrace overlooking a gorgeous west-coast bay – and the food's pretty good, too. Look for starters of pumpkin soup, conch fritters or crab cakes for EC$12–16, and main courses of baked tuna with red peppers or grouper fillet with lime for EC$42–45.

  The Dogwatch Tavern

  Jolly Harbour; tel 462 6550. Restaurant open daily from 6pm. Bar open Mon–Fri 4pm–late, Sat & Sun 5pm–late.

  Right beside the marina, an English-style pub decorated with flags, pennants and sailing regalia. There are tables indoors and out, pool tables and dartboards, and an inexpensive outdoor snack bar and grill, with burgers for EC$20, hot dogs for EC$10, red snapper with peas and rice for EC$28 and an 8oz New York strip steak with fries for EC$45.

  Indigo on the Beach

  Carlisle Bay; tel 484 0000.

  Daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lively restaurant right by the beach at the new Carlisle Bay Hotel, serving top-quality grills, seafood, pizzas and salads (EC$25–50).

  Melini's Ristorante and Pizzeria

  Jolly Harbour; tel 462 7695. Daily except Sat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sat dinner only.

  Popular open-air Italian eatery, in a lovely spot right by the marina. The standard menu has pizzas for EC$26–36, steaks for EC$80 and schnitzels for EC$45, while specials might be duck breast with mango pepper jelly and island greens at EC$45 or lemon pepper tilapia at EC$38.

  OJ's Beach Bar

  Crabbe Hill Beach; tel 460 0184, fax 462 8651. Daily 10am–11pm.

  Simple beach bar and restaurant right on the water's edge between Darkwood Beach and Turner's Beach. The food is excellent – sandwiches and burgers for EC$15–25 and a house speciality of spice-coated red snapper for EC$40 – and the setting is wonderful: sand under your feet, the place festooned with fishing nets and carved driftwood (the fruit of the owner's passion for beachcombing) and, on a clear day, a great view of the neighbouring island of Montserrat.

  Peter's BBQ Steakhouse

  Jolly Harbour; tel 462 6026. Daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

  Heavily meat-oriented barbecue zone overlooking the marina, with reasonable if unspectacular offerings. There are daily lunch specials like barbecued chicken and chips or sandwiches for just EC$15; dinners of steaks, lamb or seafood kebabs with rice or veal in cream sauce for around EC$55; and an open salad bar for EC$26.

  Sheer

  At the Cocobay Resort, Ffryes Beach; tel 562 2400. Tues–Sat 7pm–11pm.

  Wonderfully imaginative and eclectic food at this beautiful cliff-side restaurant, with only twelve tables and just one sitting. The menu, which fuses Asian and South American flavours, includes starters of duck terrine wrapped in seaweed, shrimp and tilapia ceviche and foie gras tortellini (EC$36–46), and mains of sugar cane tuna with cucumber and shrimp salsa, Bengali spiced rabbit and quail and pine nut- and mint-crusted lamb with black fig (EC$65–75). Save room for dessert: the ice cream alone is outstanding, with pumpkin seed flavour and a delicious Bailey's and hazelnut mix (EC$26).

  Steely Bar

  Jolly Harbour; tel 462 6260. Daily 8am–late.

  Food is offered all day at this lively place, overlooking the marina in the heart of the Jolly Harbour complex, 250 metres along the boardwalk from Melini's. A full English or American breakfast costs EC$23, while an extensive lunch menu features various salads (EC$19–27), hot dogs and burgers (EC$20–25). Dinner options might include pan-fried duck breast (EC$52) or Cajun snapper with rice (EC$43). There's entertainment every night, as well.

  Turner's Beach Bar & Grill

  Johnson's Point; tel 462 9133. Daily 10am–9pm.

  Delightful little restaurant on another of the best west-coast beaches, a stone's throw from the Blue Heron Hotel. It's an unpretentious place, with plastic furniture right on the sand, but the cooking is good and the atmosphere mellow. The evening menu includes chicken curry (US$11), grilled red snapper (US$14), shrimp in pineapple (US$15) and grilled lobster (US$22), as well as vegetable or chicken rotis (US$7). During the day, you'll find the same menu, but even if you're not particularly hungry, it's a great place to retreat from the beach for a snack and a beer. Worth calling ahead for a reservation at night.

  Entertainment and nightlife

  Grand Princess Casino

  Jolly Harbour; tel 562 9900, fax 562 8777, www.grandprincessentertainment.com, [email protected]. Open Tues–Sun noon–late.

  Monstrous new development in the heart of the Jolly Harbour area, with a massive casino, three restaurants and often featuring live jazz.

  Royal Antiguan

  Five Islands; tel 462 3733. Open nightly. No cover.

  Normally the liveliest spot on the Five Islands peninsula, this hotel (open to non-guests) has a small disco and a casino area with pool tables, slots and video games.

  Rush Nightclub

  At the Grand Princess Casino, Jolly Harbour; tel 562 7874. Wed–Sun 10.30pm–late. Cover EC$15.

  This new, nicely air-conditioned club has quickly become one of the most popular spots on the island for late-night partying. The music is a mix of Latin, disco, R&B, reggae and calypso, while the people getting down to it are a mix of young Antiguans and visitors to the island.

  Steely Bar

  Jolly Harbour; tel 462 6260. Open nightly until late. No cover charge.

  The main all-around entertainment zone for the Jolly Harbour area, with large TVs showing sports matches, a steel band on Friday nights, karaoke on Saturday, movies on Sunday and always a crowd of people milling about.

  Barbuda and Redonda

  With its magnificent and often deserted beaches, its spectacular coral reefs and its rare colony of frigate birds, the nation's other inhabited island, Barbuda – 48km to the north of Antigua – is well worth a visit. Don't expect the same facilities as on Antigua; accommodation options are limited, you'll need to bring your own snorkelling or diving gear and you'll find that schedules – whether for taxis, boats or meals – tend to drift. This is all, of course, very much part of the island's attraction.

  Barbuda is a throbbing metropolis, however, compared with Antigua's other "dependency", the tiny and now uninhabited volcanic rock known as Redonda, some 56km to the southwest in the main chain of the Lesser Antilles, between Nevis and Guadeloupe.

  * * *

  Getting there and getting around

  The only scheduled flights to Barbuda are from Antigua on Carib Aviation (local tel 462 3147 or 462 3452, [email protected], UK tel 01895/450 710, [email protected], US tel 646/336-7600). Four flights leave daily from the main airport in Antigua (7am, 8am, 9am and 5pm, returning thirty minutes later in each case) and cost US$50 round-trip. The flight takes twenty minutes. More excitingly, the journey can be made by boat, although the cost of the 4hr crossing from St John's to River Landing on Barbuda's south coast tends to be pretty exorbitant, at around US$150 one-way. A handful of local boat operators run occasional trips (try Foster Hopkins on 460 0212 or Byron Askie on 460 0065) or you could ask around with the charter companies.

  If you visit independently, getting around is likely to
be your major headache. There is no bus service, and distances (and the heat) are sufficient to put all but the hardiest off the idea of walking anywhere. Also, you've no guarantee of finding one of the island's tiny taxi fleet in action, so it's worth calling ahead to try to rent a car from a private citizen: try Mr Burton (tel 460 0103 or 460 0078), Mr Thomas (tel 460 0015), Byron Askie (tel 460 0065) or Junie Walker (tel 460 0159), one of whom can usually oblige for around US$50 per day. Alternatively, ask around at the airport – there's usually a crowd there to meet the flights.

  Taking a day tour to the island is the best way to guarantee getting both a driver and a boat operator to take you to the bird sanctuary. Both D&J Tours (tel 773 9766) and Jenny's Tours (tel 461 9361) will organize a carefully packaged tour for US$160, including flights, pick-up at Barbuda's airport, a Jeep tour of the island, lunch and a boat visit to the bird sanctuary. Your driver will also leave you on the beach for as long as you want –just remember to take a bottle of water. Occasional day tours by boat are run by Adventure Antigua (tel 727 3261, www.adventureantigua.com) and Tropical Adventures (tel 480 1225, www.tropicalad.com), both of whom run to the Barbudan beaches for snorkelling, birding and beach cruising. The cost is around US$120 per person.

  * * *

  Codrington

  Codrington, Barbuda's capital and only settlement, holds almost the entire population of 1500 people within its grid of narrow streets. It's a well spread-out place, with plenty of brightly painted single-storey clapboard or concrete buildings. There are a couple of guesthouses, as well as a handful of restaurants, bars and supermarkets, but, for the most part, people keep to themselves, and there is little sign of life apart from a few curious schoolchildren, dogs and the occasional goat. On Sundays the capital livens up with a cricket match at the Holy Trinity School.

  Codrington Lagoon

  To the west of town, Codrington Lagoon is an expansive area of green, brackish water, fringed by mangroves. The lagoon is completely enclosed on its western side by the narrow but magnificent strip of Palm Beach, but there is a narrow cut to the north where fishing boats can get out to the ocean. Lobsters breed in the lagoon and you'll probably see them at the pier being loaded for export to Antigua – an important contribution to the local economy.